Masonry wall system

ABSTRACT

The masonry block wall system comprises masonry blocks fastened together with interconnecting threaded steel fasteners. Four fasteners on each block connect with a pair of identical blocks immediately above and a pair of identical blocks immediately below the block. The resulting masonry wall is structurally sound and allows large vertical chases or conduits for electrical, plumbing and the like. Unlike conventional masonry, the construction of the present masonry wall does not require specialized knowledge and skill of a mason and is relatively easy to build. As well, the masonry wall system is not dependent upon weather during construction and can be de-constructed without demolition.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a masonry wall system in which masonryblocks are interconnected using threaded mechanical fasteners.

BACKGROUND

Masonry block walls are presently constructed using concrete blocksstacked on top of each other. The blocks are bonded together usingcement mortar (both in the horizontal and vertical joints). Awire-reinforcing ladder is installed in the periodic horizontal joints.Construction of a masonry block wall requires a skilled mason. Theconstruction of a masonry block wall requires a controlled environmentwhile the cement mortar cures.

In conventional masonry construction, the designer (the design engineer)has few means of knowing that the block wall is built in accordance withthe designers specifications, for example: the mortar being correctlyinstalled and having adequate strength, the concrete filled cores beingcompletely filled and the reinforcing steel being placed correctly orbeing installed at all. The designer has to rely heavily on theintegrity of the mason and the mason's workers that the masonry wall wasproperly built.

Traditional masonry units have vertical chases or conduits forinstalling plumbing lines, electrical conduits and other buildingservices, but the vertical holes are often small and are commonly filledwith cement grout or concrete and thus very often not continuous fromtop to bottom.

U.S. Pat. No. 1,499,483 (Simms), U.S. Pat. No. 5,685,119 (Zschoppe),U.S. Pat. No. 5,899,040 (Cerrato) and U.S. Pat. No. 6,244,009 (Cerrato)disclose various examples of a wall construction using masonry typeblocks. In each instance, the block has an irregular shape forinterlocking connection with adjacent blocks. The blocks thus requirecomplex molds for manufacturing. Rods are used in some instances forinterconnecting adjacent blocks, however the rods are intended to spanplural rows resulting is a wall which permits some relative movementbetween the blocks. This relative movement is typically undesirable in alarge static structure.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,787,675 (Futagi) discloses a log wall construction inwhich mechanical fasteners are used for interconnecting the logs of thewall. The fasteners include a washer formed integrally thereon which hascleats for bearing into the logs being fastened. The configuration ofthe cleats would interfere with the use of the fasteners on a masonrywall construction.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to one aspect of the invention there is provided a masonryblock for use with threaded masonry fasteners, the block comprising:

a rectangular body which is elongate in a longitudinal directionextending between ends of the body, the body having a pair of opposing,upright side walls spanning in the longitudinal direction between theends; and

fastener apertures formed through the rectangular body to extend from atop side to a bottom side of the block for receiving the threadedmasonry fasteners therethrough;

at least some of the fastener apertures being spaced from one another ina lateral direction extending between the opposing, upright side wallsof the body.

By providing fastener apertures which are spaced apart from one anotherin a lateral direction extending between the opposing upright side wallsof the block, the support area joining each block to the previous row iswider across the thickness of the wall structure to more evenly anchoreach block to the previous rows. Furthermore the fasteners joining therows are mounted closer to the outer walls under tension so that thefasteners provide better support to resist bending forces of the wall ineither lateral direction.

According to a second aspect of the present invention there is provideda masonry block for use with threaded masonry fasteners, the blockcomprising:

a rectangular body which is elongate in a longitudinal direction betweenends of the body, the body having a pair of opposing, upright side wallsspanning in the longitudinal direction between the ends and a pair ofweb portions spanning in a lateral direction between the opposing,upright side walls;

a central conduit extending through the body from a top side to a bottomside of the body between the web portions;

a pair of partial conduits extending through the body from the top sideto the bottom side of the body at the ends of the body, each partialconduit being located between a respective one of the web portions and arespective one of the ends of the body and substantially comprising halfof a cross-sectional area of the central conduit; and

fastener apertures formed through the rectangular body to extend fromthe top side to the bottom side of the block for receiving the threadedmasonry fasteners therethrough.

Construction of the block to include a pair of webs spanning betweenopposing side walls to define a central conduit therebetween and a pairof partial conduits at the ends of the block, results in an advantageouslocation of the fasteners in the webs being located approximately aquarter of the length of the block from each end of the block. In thisconfiguration each block is connected to a pair of adjacent andoverlapped blocks in the previous row by a fastener which is centrallylocated within the area of overlap between the blocks for optimumdistribution of loads.

According to another aspect of the present invention there is provided amasonry block in combination with threaded masonry fasteners:

the masonry block comprising a rectangular body and fastener aperturesformed in the rectangular body to extend from a top side to a bottomside of the block; and

each masonry fastener comprising:

an elongate body substantially corresponding in length to a heightbetween the top and bottom sides of the block;

an externally threaded portion near a bottom end of the elongate body;

a nut portion formed near a top end of the elongate body; and

an internally threaded bore formed in the nut portion at the top end ofthe elongate body which is suitably sized to operatively receive theexternally threaded portion of an additional masonry fastener ofidentical configuration.

The fasteners described herein are suitably arranged to span only asingle row of blocks in the preferred embodiment. In this arrangement amuch simpler block construction can be used as the blocks do not requireany additional interlocking or alignment mechanism to connect to theprevious row other than simply aligning the fasteners from one row tothe next. The simplicity of the block design reduces manufacturing costsof the block when only fastener apertures are required and the top andbottom faces of the block can remain substantially flat and free ofcomplex interlocking shapes. The fasteners are much easier to align witha previous row of fasteners when assembling only a single row at a time.

According to another aspect of the present invention there is provided amasonry wall system comprising rows of masonry blocks supported oneabove the other to form a wall structure in which each masonry block isconnected to at least one masonry block immediately therebelow by atleast one respective masonry fastener;

each masonry block comprising a rectangular body and at least onefastener aperture formed in the rectangular body to extend from a topside to a bottom side of the block and receiving said at least onerespective masonry fastener therethrough; and

each masonry fastener comprising:

an elongate body;

a nut portion adjacent a top end of the elongate body which engages atop side the respective masonry block;

an internally threaded bore formed in the nut portion at the top end ofthe elongate body; and

an externally threaded portion near a bottom end of the elongate body inmating engagement with the internally threaded bore of the respectivemasonry fastener received through said at least one masonry blockimmediately therebelow.

According to yet another aspect of the present invention there isprovided a corner block comprising:

a body having a first rectangular portion and a second rectangularportion which are formed integrally with one another;

the first rectangular portion having upright side walls which areelongate in a longitudinal direction between ends of the firstrectangular portion and dimensions between top and bottom sides andbetween the upright side walls which are substantially identical to themasonry blocks;

the second rectangular portion having upright side walls extendingoutward from the first rectangular portion in a lateral directionoriented perpendicularly to the longitudinal direction of the firstrectangular portion and having dimensions between top and bottom sidesand between the upright side walls which are substantially identical tothe first rectangular portion;

one of the side walls of the second rectangular portion being flush withone end of the first rectangular portion; and

a difference between dimension of the corner block in the longitudinaldirection thereof and dimension of the corner block in the lateraldirection thereof corresponding to approximately half a total length ofthe masonry blocks in the longitudinal direction thereof.

According to a further aspect of the present invention there is provideda method of assembling a masonry wall on a supporting surface, themethod comprising:

providing a plurality of masonry blocks, each comprising a rectangularbody and fastener apertures formed in the rectangular body to extendfrom a top side to a bottom side of the block;

providing a plurality of masonry fasteners, each comprising an elongatebody; a nut portion integrally formed near a top end of the elongatebody; an internally threaded bore formed in the nut portion; and anexternally threaded portion near a bottom end of the elongate body;

forming a first row of blocks by placing the masonry blocks sequentiallyin an end to end configuration along the supporting surface;

connecting each of the masonry blocks of the first row to the supportingsurface using the masonry fasteners by inserting each externallythreaded portion through a respective fastener aperture until the nutportion engages the top side of the respective block and the externallythreaded portion is anchored to the supporting surface; and

forming subsequent rows of blocks in which each subsequent row is formedby:

-   -   placing the masonry blocks sequentially in an end to end        configuration along a previous row of blocks with the fastener        apertures of the masonry blocks being aligned with respective        fastener apertures of the previous row of blocks; and    -   connecting each of the masonry blocks to the masonry blocks of        the previous row of blocks using the masonry fasteners by        inserting each externally threaded portion through a respective        fastener aperture until the nut portion engages the top side of        the respective block and the externally threaded portion is        threadably received in the internally threaded bore of the        respective masonry fastener in the previous row of blocks.

Preferably at least some of the fasteners are spaced in the longitudinaldirection relative to one another in addition to being spaced in thelateral direction. Also preferably, some or all of the fastenerapertures are located adjacent respective side walls of the block in theweb portions.

Each fastener aperture preferably includes a counter bore formed at thebottom side of the block wherein a length and a diameter of the counterbore are respectively equal to or greater than a length and a diameterof the nut portion of the fastener. The counter bores and the nutportions of the fasteners may be near one another in diameter for snuglyreceiving the nut portion of one of the fasteners in each counter bore.In some embodiments, the counter bore may increase in diameter towardsthe bottom side of the body.

There may be provided a flat washer between the nut portion and theexternally threaded portion which is greater in diameter than thecounter bore and which is formed integrally with the nut portion.

A pair of laterally spaced fastener apertures may be spaced from eachend of the block by approximately ¼ of a total length of the block in alongitudinal direction of the block for alignment of the fastenerapertures when the blocks are stacked to overlap half a block length ofthe blocks immediately therebelow.

The masonry block may be used in combination with a shear plate spanningat least partway across one of the top or bottom sides of the body. Theshear plate preferably includes a pair of apertures formed therein whichare aligned with a pair of the fastener apertures in the body which arespaced from one another in the lateral direction.

There may also be provided a channel extending in the longitudinaldirection along one of the top and bottom sides of the block forreceiving an elongate reinforcement bar therein in a horizontaldirection across a plurality of blocks.

The method of assembling a masonry wall described herein may includeforming a supporting surface of concrete with some of the masonryfasteners embedded therein for alignment with the fastener apertures ofthe first row of blocks and anchoring the masonry fasteners received inthe first row of blocks to the masonry fasteners embedded in theconcrete.

As described herein, the masonry wall system results in a mortarlessblock wall comprising concrete block units that are connected togetherwith steel connectors. The steel connectors main purposes are to providetensile strength to the wall to resist bending stresses (created fromlateral loads such as wind and eccentric vertical wall loading). Theblock walls are placed on top of the lower course of masonry units (thevertical joints are stagger from the block course below—running bond).The steel connectors also serve a secondary purpose of providing a guidefor the masonry block units being placed.

The masonry wall system of the present invention (or mortarless blockwall) possesses numerous benefits and advantages over the traditionalmasonry wall construction. Most significantly, the mortarless block wallcan be built without the specialized skills and knowledge of a mason. Aswell, the mortarless block wall can be constructed in any weatherconditions without affecting its structural integrity (unliketraditional masonry wall construction that is effected by weathercondition that in turn affects its structural integrity such as frozenmortar in cold weather, baked mortar in hot weather or dried mortar inwindy weather). As well, as the mortarless block wall is constructed ithas immediate structural strength (unlike conventional masonryconstruction, which only has strength after the cement mortar hascured). Having instantaneous strength is beneficial when the walls areexposed to construction in windy conditions. Another benefit to themortarless block wall is that the construction can be de-constructed bysimply reversing the construction process. The masonry block units andthe metal connectors can be re-used over and over again.

The mortarless block wall is lighter than traditional block walls andthe walls have greater resistance to wind loads (both positive pressureloads and negative suction loads). As well, the mortarless block wallhas greater horizontal shear resistance than traditional block walls(which relies on the strength of the cement mortar).

The mortarless block wall requires the use of the masonry fasteners ofthe present invention to work property and so there is no incentive ormeans for the wall builder to skimp on material or do shoddyworkmanship.

Another advantage of the mortarless masonry block is that it has largecontinuous vertical holes in the center. These holes can be used forinstalling plumbing lines, electrical conduits and other buildingservices and won't get plugged with mortar or concrete when installeddue to the use of the masonry fasteners according to the presentinvention.

The masonry block wall's vertical holes must line up vertically and infact are guide for the proper placement of the block units.

One embodiment of the invention will now be described in conjunctionwith the accompanying drawings in which:

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the masonry wall system.

FIG. 2 is a front elevational view of the masonry wall system.

FIG. 3A and FIG. 3B are respective exploded and assembled elevationalview of the masonry fastener for use in the masonry wall system.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the masonry block for use in the masonrywall system.

FIG. 5 is a bottom plan view of the masonry block.

FIG. 6 is a side elevational view of the masonry block.

FIG. 7 is a sectional view of the masonry wall system along the line 7-7of FIG. 2.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the shear plate for use in the masonrywall system.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the masonry wall system with thefasteners and the shear plates shown removed.

In the drawings like characters of reference indicate correspondingparts in the different figures.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Referring to the accompanying figures there is illustrated a masonrywall system generally indicated by reference numeral 10. The system 10includes a plurality of masonry blocks 12 which are mechanically coupledto one another using masonry fasteners 14 as described herein.

Each masonry block 12 comprises a rectangular body of pre-cast concretewhich is elongate in a longitudinal direction between opposing ends 16of the body. The height and width in a lateral direction perpendicularto the longitudinal direction are approximately equal to one another,having dimensions each of approximately 200 millimetres while the lengthis approximately double. The blocks each include opposing, upright andflat side walls 18 extending longitudinally between the ends and whichform the surfaces of the wall structure being formed when the blocks arestacked on top of one another. Each block also includes a flat top side19 and a flat bottom side 20 which permits stacking of the blocks on topof the other.

Each block includes a centrally located conduit 24 of generallyoctagonal cross section and having a lateral dimension which is morethan half of the width of the block. The conduit 24 extends through theblock from the top side to the bottom side thereof. The conduit iscentered both laterally and longitudinally.

Each end 16 of the block also includes a partial conduit 26 whichcomprises a channel open to the exterior end of the block and which isshaped to correspond to half of the cross sectional shape of the centralconduit 24. Accordingly when two blocks are abutted in an end to endconfiguration two partial conduits 26 are opened to one another and forman assembled conduit which is identical in cross section to the centralround conduit 24.

Two webs 28 are integrally formed in each block to span in the lateraldirection between the opposing side walls 18 of the block to divide thecentral conduit 24 from each of the partial conduits 26 at opposing endsof the block. Each web 28 is located spaced from a respective end of theblock by approximately one quarter of a length of the block in thelongitudinal direction so that the resulting space between the webs 28locating the central conduit therebetween is approximately equal todouble the space between each web 28 and the respective end of the blocklocating the partial conduits. The partial conduits are thus eachdefined between a respective one of the webs and a respective one of theends of the block.

Fastener apertures 30 are also formed in the block for slidablyreceiving the masonry fasteners 14 therethrough. Each of the fastenerapertures 30 comprises a through bore extending from the top side 19 tothe bottom side 20 of the block. A counter bore 32 is formed at thebottom side of each fastener aperture 30 which is slightly larger indiameter than the through bore of the fastener apertures and to definean annular shoulder at the inner end of the counter bore. The counterbore 32 extends axially less then half a depth of the masonry block 12.In the illustrated embodiment, the counter bore 32 has an increasingdiameter from the inner end which snugly receives an end of the fastenertherein towards an outer end at the bottom side of the block.

Two fastener apertures 30 are provided at spaced positions in thelateral direction within each web 28 so that the apertures 30 arelocated adjacent the side walls 18 and so that a set of four fastenerapertures 30 are provided in each block in a rectangular configurationspaced both laterally and longitudinally relative to one another. Bylocating the apertures 30 spaced apart within each of the webs, thefastener apertures are similarly located so as to be spaced from arespective end of the block by approximately one quarter of a totallength of the block in the longitudinal direction. Accordingly, thefastener apertures of the two webs are spaced apart from one anotherapproximately twice the distance of the spacing of each fasteneraperture from the respective end of the block.

Each masonry fastener 14 has a height which substantially corresponds inlength to a height of the block between the top and bottom sides thereofso that the fastener spans the height of the block, but with someadditional length for overlapping in a lengthwise direction the fastenerof an adjacent row of blocks stacked thereabove when the fasteners areengaged with one another in a mating connection.

The fastener 14 includes an elongate shaft 33 having an externalthreaded portion 34 at both the bottom end and the top end. Diameter ofthe shaft 33 and threaded portions 34 is approximately equal to thediameter of the through bore of the fastener apertures 30 for slidablyreceiving the fasteners within the apertures in use. The externalthreaded potion 34 comprises a machine screw for threaded securement toa suitable mating nut.

A nut portion 36 is provided for mounting at the top end of the shaft33. The nut portion has a hexagonal cross section similar toconventional nuts for example for gripping with a wrench or socket tooland the like. Length and diameter of the nut portion 36 is approximatelyequal to or less than the respective length and diameter of the counterbore 32 so that the nut portion is receive within the counter bore whenstacking blocks. The through bore and counter bore of the fastenerapertures 30 are close enough in dimensions to the shaft defining thethreaded portion 34 and the nut portion 36 of the masonry fasteners toprovide a snug fit of the fasteners within the apertures to maintainproper alignment of the masonry blocks 12 relative to adjacent blocks.The increasing dimension of the counter bore provides ease of insertionat the outer end while snugly receiving the nut portion at the inner endwhere the nut portion and counter bore are near one another in diameterfor aligning the blocks relative to one another.

The nut portion 36 includes an internally threaded bore 38 therethroughfrom the bottom end to the top end which is suitably sized for matingengagement with the threaded portion 34 at the top end of the respectiveshaft 33 and for mating engagement with threaded portion 34 at thebottom end of another masonry fastener 14 of identical configuration. Adimple is centrally located within the internally threaded bore in thenut portion for engaging the top end of the respective shaft 33 insertedtherein and prevent over-threading of the shaft beyond a longitudinalcentre of the nut portion.

A washer 40 is located between the nut portion 26 and the shaft 33 whenassembling the nut portion on the shaft for abutment against the topside of the masonry block 12 which receives the threaded portion 34through one of the fastener apertures 30 therein. An engaging surface ofthe washer 40, which faces the threaded portion and which liesperpendicular to a longitudinal direction of the fastener, is flat forabutment with the top side of the masonry block 12.

In further embodiments, the shaft 33, the nut portion 26 and the washermay be formed as an integral body, in which the shaft is externallythreaded at one end of the body and the nut portion 26 is internallythreaded at the opposing end of the body.

When assembling a wall structure,shear plates 50 are mounted to spanbetween opposed pairs of the fasteners where additional shear strengthis desired. Each shear plate 50 comprises a flat plate of rigid metalwhich has a length which is near the width of the blocks 12 in thelateral direction. The plates 50 have a width which is only slightlygreater than the webs 28 so that the conduits remain substantiallyunobstructed when the shear plates are mounted to span the top side ofrespective blocks 12 in alignment with respective webs 28. The shearplates 50 span across a laterally spaced pair of the apertures 30 in theblocks and each include a respective pair of mounting apertures 52therein. The mounting apertures 52 are spaced apart from one another bythe same lateral spacing as the apertures in the blocks 12 for alignmenttherewith. The apertures 52 in the plate 50 have a diameter whichclosely fits the shaft 33 of the fasteners 14 therein so that the shearplates are commonly mounted with the blocks 12 to a previous row ofblocks during assembly.

As best shown in FIG. 9, a channel 54 is formed in the top side of eachblock, also when additional strength is desired. The channel 54 extendsa full length of the block in the longitudinal direction, centrallylocated in the lateral direction between the side walls 18. The channel54 comprises a groove open to the top side of the block and which issuitably sized for receiving an elongate reinforcement member, commonlyreferred to as rebar, to extend through the channel and span a pluralityof blocks along a given row of the wall structure. The reinforcementmember is received in the channel 54 prior to attachment of the shearplates 50 so that the shear plates enclose the open top end of thechannel 54 at each web 28 once installed.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 9, a corner block 60 is provided for joining tolinearly assembled wall structures at right angles to one another. Thecorner block 60 has a body having a first rectangular portion 62 and asecond rectangular portion 64 which are formed integrally with oneanother.

The first rectangular portion 62 has upright side walls 66 which areelongate in a longitudinal direction between ends 68 of the firstrectangular portion. Dimensions of height between top and bottom sidesand width in the lateral direction between the upright side walls whichare substantially identical to the masonry blocks 12 described above.

The second rectangular portion 64 also has upright side walls 66, butthe side walls of the second rectangular portion extend outward from thefirst rectangular portion in a lateral direction orientedperpendicularly to the longitudinal direction of the first rectangularportion. The second rectangular portion has dimensions of height betweentop and bottom sides and of width between the upright side walls whichare substantially identical to the first rectangular portion.

The first rectangular portion 62 corresponds in length to 1 and ¼ timesa length of the blocks 12 in the longitudinal direction. Two completeconduits are provided in the first rectangular portion with a partialconduit being provided at only one end. The opposing end is enclosed bya flat end wall and is joined with the second rectangular portion sothat one of the side walls of the second rectangular portion is flushwith the enclosed end of the first rectangular portion.

The second rectangular portion 64 corresponds in length to ¾ a length ofthe blocks 12 in the longitudinal direction thereof. Accordingly, adifference between dimension of the corner block in the longitudinaldirection thereof and dimension of the corner block in the lateraldirection thereof corresponds to approximately ½ a total length of themasonry blocks 12 in the longitudinal direction thereof. Accordingly, byalternating position of the first and second rectangular portions of thecorner block with each successive row, the blocks 12 abutted with thecorner block at each row will be offset by ½ a length of a block inrelation to the blocks of the adjacent rows thereabove and therebelow.

Using the masonry wall system 10, a wall structure can be erected inwhich masonry blocks 12 are mechanically joined by masonry fasteners 14as described herein. A base of concrete 42 is first formed where thewall is to be erected. Fasteners 14 are embedded in the concrete whenthe concrete is still wet. The fasteners 14 are embedded such that thethreaded portion 34 is embedded into the concrete but the nut portionextends above the top surface of the concrete. A retention nut 44 can besecured to the bottom end of the bottom threaded portion 34 prior toinsertion of the fasteners into the wet concrete. The fasteners aresuitably spaced from one another for alignment with the fastenerapertures 30 of the first row of blocks to be formed.

The first row is formed by placing the blocks in an end to endconfiguration in a longitudinal direction of the blocks so that thepartial conduits 26 of each block join with those of adjacent blocks toform complete conduits. The counter bores 32 are inserted overtop of thenut portions which project up and outwardly from the concrete base 42once the base has cured. The blocks in the first row are secured inplace by inserting the threaded portion 34 of a masonry fastener 14 intoeach of the fastener apertures 30 so that the bottom end is matinglyengaged with the internally threaded bore 38 of the fasteners embeddedin the concrete therebelow.

As the fasteners 14 received through the blocks are threaded into thefasteners therebelow and tightened in place, the washer 40 and nutportion 36 thereabove clamp down on to the top side of the blocks. Theclose fit of the fasteners with respect to the through bore and counterbore of the fastener apertures 30 assists in proper alignment of themasonry blocks.

Each subsequent row is place above the previous row by sequentiallyplacing the masonry blocks in an end to end configuration in alongitudinal direction of the blocks along the previous row. The fistblock is positioned so as to be offset in a longitudinal direction byhalf a block length relative to the previous row to form a staggeredpattern. Due to the spacing of the conduits and fastener apertures, eachpair of joined partial conduits 26 aligns with a central round conduit24 of the rows thereabove and therebelow.

Similarly the fastener apertures of each masonry block align withfastener apertures of two separate blocks in the rows immediately aboveand below. As each subsequent row is formed, the masonry fastenersinserted therein are threadably engaged with the fasteners of thepervious row and tightened until the nut portion thereof clamps downonto the top surface of the respective blocks. The location of themasonry fasteners permits the first row of blocks to be anchored to theconcrete base forming a supporting surface of the wall while each blockin the subsequent rows is anchored to two adjacent blocks in the rowabove and two adjacent blocks in the row below. Accordingly, thefinished wall structure includes blocks which are sufficientlyinterconnected by mechanical fasteners to be self supporting without anygrout material being required to join the blocks.

As described herein, the masonry wall system 10 (or mortarless blockwall) consists of a masonry block 12 and a masonry fastener 14comprising a steel connector. Construction of the block wall starts withfirst installing a connector to a concrete base (concrete wall, slab,footing, etc) with a base steel connector. This base steel connector iseither installed in wet concrete (not hardened yet) or installed incured concrete (hardened concrete). If the base steel connector isinstalled in wet concrete, a nut is placed at the end of the steelconnector to increase the tensile anchorage strength of the steelconnector. If the steel connector is installed in cured concrete, thenan oversized hole is drilled in the concrete and the connector isinstalled with an epoxy grout in the hole with the connector. In eitherinstallation of the base connector, care is required to place theconnector in the correct location.

Once the base connector is installed, the standard masonry blocks 12 areinstalled over the base connector. The standard steel connectors arethen inserted in the top of the masonry block (or unit) and after thewall has been straightened and plumbed, the steel connectors aretightened snug. After the first masonry course is placed the secondcourse is installed and again the steel connectors are inserted in thetop of the masonry unit. Again after the second course of masonry unitshave been straightened and plumbed, the steel connectors are tightenedsnug. The process is continued until the full height of the wall iscompleted.

A form can be placed at the ends of the wall, or at an opening, etc andthe rough openings or ends of the wall can be finished with concrete. Toachieve a greater fire resistance in the mortarless block wall, thevertical and horizontal joints in the wall can be caulked with a fireretardant caulking. The caulking serves another purpose, to straightenout vertical block unevenness.

The wall system as described herein is advantageous to owners ascompared to conventional masonry walls as it is typically lessexpensive, faster to construct, and can be de-constructed and reused.Advantages to contractors include: (1) Does not need hoarding & heating(or cooler weather) to construct, (2) Less skilled labour to constructthe wall, (3) The project schedule is not dictated by a masonrycontractor, (4) Installation of plumbing line & electrical conduit canbe done after wall is constructed (the vertical cores within the wallare continuous), (5) The wall has instant structure strength when theconnectors are tightened (and so temporary lateral bracing is lesslikely), and (6) Construction of the wall can be done with only accesswith one side of the wall (and still achieve a similar exterior finishquality). Advantages to Architects and Engineers include: (1) Moreconsistent quality in structural strength than a concrete or masonrywall, (2) Stronger lateral & vertical load capacity than a masonry wall,(3) More consistent wall strength than a concrete or masonry wall, (4)Better surface finish, and (4) More durable block than a standardmasonry block.

Since various modifications can be made in my invention as herein abovedescribed, and many apparently widely different embodiments of same madewithin the spirit and scope of the claims without department from suchspirit and scope, it is intended that all matter contained in theaccompanying specification shall be interpreted as illustrative only andnot in a limiting sense.

1. A masonry block for use with threaded masonry fasteners, the blockcomprising: a rectangular body which is elongate in a longitudinaldirection extending between ends of the body, the body having a pair ofopposing, upright side walls spanning in the longitudinal directionbetween the ends; and fastener apertures formed through the rectangularbody to extend from a top side to a bottom side of the block forreceiving the threaded masonry fasteners therethrough; at least some ofthe fastener apertures being spaced from one another in a lateraldirection extending between the opposing, upright side walls of thebody.
 2. The block according to claim 1 wherein at least some of thefasteners are spaced in the longitudinal direction relative to oneanother.
 3. The block according to claim 1 wherein the fastenerapertures are located adjacent the side walls.
 4. The block according toclaim 1 wherein the fastener apertures are spaced from each end of thebody by approximately ¼ of a total length of the body in thelongitudinal direction.
 5. The block according to claim 1 wherein a pairof the fastener apertures spaced from one another in the lateraldirection are spaced from each end of the body by approximately ¼ of atotal length of the body in the longitudinal direction.
 6. The blockaccording to claim 1 in combination with a plurality of threaded masonryfasteners, each fastener comprising: an elongate body substantiallycorresponding in length to a height between the top and bottom sides ofthe block; an externally threaded portion near a bottom end of theelongate body; a nut portion formed near a top end of the elongate body;and an internally threaded bore formed in the nut portion at the top endof the elongate body which is suitably sized to operatively receive theexternally threaded portion of an additional masonry fastener ofidentical configuration; wherein the fastener apertures each include acounter bore of increased diameter formed at the bottom side of thebody, the counter bores and the nut portions being near one another indiameter for receiving the nut portion of one of the fasteners in eachcounter bore.
 7. The block according to claim 1 wherein each fasteneraperture includes a counter bore formed at the bottom side of the body,the counter bore increasing in diameter towards the bottom side of thebody.
 8. The block according to claim 1 in combination with a shearplate spanning at least partway across one of the top or bottom sides ofthe body, the shear plate including a pair of apertures formed thereinwhich are aligned with a pair of the fastener apertures in the bodywhich are spaced from one another in the lateral direction.
 9. A masonryblock for use with threaded masonry fasteners, the block comprising: arectangular body which is elongate in a longitudinal direction betweenends of the body, the body having a pair of opposing, upright side wallsspanning in the longitudinal direction between the ends and a pair ofweb portions spanning in a lateral direction between the opposing,upright side walls; a central conduit extending through the body from atop side to a bottom side of the body between the web portions; a pairof partial conduits extending through the body from the top side to thebottom side of the body at the ends of the body, each partial conduitbeing located between a respective one of the web portions and arespective one of the ends of the body and substantially comprising halfof a cross-sectional area of the central conduit; and fastener aperturesformed through the rectangular body to extend from the top side to thebottom side of the block for receiving the threaded masonry fastenerstherethrough.
 10. The block according to claim 9 wherein the fastenerapertures are located in each web portion of the body.
 11. The blockaccording to claim 9 wherein at least some of the fastener aperturesbeing spaced from one another in a lateral direction extending betweenthe opposing, upright side walls of the body.
 12. The block according toclaim 9 in combination with a plurality of threaded masonry fasteners,each fastener comprising: an elongate body substantially correspondingin length to a height between the top and bottom sides of the block; anexternally threaded portion near a bottom end of the elongate body; anut portion formed near a top end of the elongate body; and aninternally threaded bore formed in the nut portion at the top end of theelongate body which is suitably sized to operatively receive theexternally threaded portion of an additional masonry fastener ofidentical configuration; wherein the fastener apertures each include acounter bore of increased diameter formed at the bottom side of thebody, the counter bores and the nut portions being near one another indiameter for receiving the nut portion of one of the fasteners in eachcounter bore.
 13. The block according to claim 9 wherein each fasteneraperture includes a counter bore formed at the bottom side of the body,the counter bore increasing in diameter towards the bottom side of thebody.
 14. A masonry block in combination with threaded masonryfasteners: the masonry block comprising a rectangular body and fastenerapertures formed in the rectangular body to extend from a top side to abottom side of the block; and each masonry fastener comprising: anelongate body substantially corresponding in length to a height betweenthe top and bottom sides of the block; an externally threaded portionnear a bottom end of the elongate body; a nut portion formed near a topend of the elongate body; and an internally threaded bore formed in thenut portion at the top end of the elongate body which is suitably sizedto operatively receive the externally threaded portion of an additionalmasonry fastener of identical configuration.
 15. The combinationaccording to claim 1 wherein the fastener apertures each include acounter bore of increased diameter formed at the bottom side of the bodyfor receiving the nut portion of one of the fasteners in each counterbore.
 16. The combination according to claim 15 wherein the counterbores and the nut portions are near one another in diameter.
 17. Thecombination according to claim 15 wherein each counter bore increases indiameter towards the bottom side of the body.
 18. A masonry wall systemcomprising rows of masonry blocks supported one above the other to forma wall structure in which each masonry block is connected to at leastone masonry block immediately therebelow by at least one respectivemasonry fastener; each masonry block comprising a rectangular body andat least one fastener aperture formed in the rectangular body to extendfrom a top side to a bottom side of the block and receiving said atleast one respective masonry fastener therethrough; and each masonryfastener comprising: an elongate body; a nut portion adjacent a top endof the elongate body which engages a top side the respective masonryblock; an internally threaded bore formed in the nut portion at the topend of the elongate body; and an externally threaded portion near abottom end of the elongate body in mating engagement with the internallythreaded bore of the respective masonry fastener received through saidat least one masonry block immediately therebelow.
 19. The systemaccording to claim 18 wherein each fastener aperture includes a counterbore formed at the bottom side of the block, the counter bore snuglyreceiving the nut portion of a respective fastener therein.
 20. Thesystem according to claim 18 wherein each block is elongate in alongitudinal direction and includes opposing, upright side wallsspanning in the longitudinal direction of the block, at least some ofthe fastener apertures being spaced from one another in a lateraldirection extending between the side walls of the block.
 21. The systemaccording to claim 20 wherein there is provided a shear plate spanningat least partway across one of the top and bottom sides of the block,the shear plate including a pair of apertures formed therein which arealigned with a pair of the fastener apertures in the body which arespaced from one another in the lateral direction.
 22. The systemaccording to claim 18 wherein each block is elongate in a longitudinaldirection and wherein there is provided a channel extending in thelongitudinal direction along one of the top and bottom sides of theblock for receiving an elongate reinforcement bar therein.
 23. Thesystem according to claim 18 wherein there is provided a corner blockcomprising: a body having a first rectangular portion and a secondrectangular portion which are formed integrally with one another; thefirst rectangular portion having upright side walls which are elongatein a longitudinal direction between ends of the first rectangularportion and dimensions between top and bottom sides and between theupright side walls which are substantially identical to the masonryblocks; the second rectangular portion having upright side wallsextending outward from the first rectangular portion in a lateraldirection oriented perpendicularly to the longitudinal direction of thefirst rectangular portion and having dimensions between top and bottomsides and between the upright side walls which are substantiallyidentical to the first rectangular portion; one of the side walls of thesecond rectangular portion being flush with one end of the firstrectangular portion; and a difference between dimension of the cornerblock in the longitudinal direction thereof and dimension of the cornerblock in the lateral direction thereof corresponding to approximatelyhalf a total length of the masonry blocks in the longitudinal directionthereof.